That’s because people who haven’t eaten for days can suffer a deadly condition called re-feeding syndrome if they eat too much too quickly. The soccer team went nine days without food, until rescue divers found them and brought energy gels. According to CNN, they were given one meal of sticky rice and grilled pork with milk while in the cave.

During their recovery, it seems the boys have settled on something of a food compromise with their doctors: chocolate spread and bread are being included in their recovery diet along with the other staple soft foods.

Why it’s dangerous to feed a starving body too much

When people start eating a regular diet again after fasting, their bodies go through a major shift as they switch back to using carbohydrates as their go-to energy source and start secreting more insulin.

This can be a dangerous time, and starvation patients can be at risk of developing acute hypophosphatemia becuase the body uses up phosphates in its recovery process. So starting to eat again can cause phosphate levels in a person’s blood to drop so low that they can suffer from irregular heart rhythms and die.

Some of the earliest reports of re-feeding syndrome were documented in Japanese prisoners during World War II.

The important thing is to begin eating slowly, because otherwise people can develop a host of other dangerous and life-threatening conditions, like fatty liver disease, respiratory failure, dangerously high blood sugar levels, and fluid overload.

It’s also best not to upset the digestive tract with any spicy foods or tough-to-digest fibres.

Usually the danger lifts within about five days, and people can start eating whatever they want again – including the Thai pad kra pao the boys are craving.